Razi Journal of Medical Sciences

    Background & Aim: Angiogenesis has an important role in the progression and metastasis of breast cancer and is a predictor of patient's survival.  This process is regulated by vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGF). The purpose of the present study is to determine the angiogenesis process through the evaluation of the  relationship between MVD and VEGF based on immunohistochemistry in patients with invasive breast carcinoma and study their correlation with grading, staging, age, lymph node involvement and biomarkers including estrogen receptor(ER), progestron receptor (PR), Ki-67, HER2 and P53.

Patients and Method: In this analytical cross-sectional study, after searching among paraffin embedded blocks in Pathology Ward of Hazrat Rasool-e-Akram and Atieh hospitals between 2004 and 2007, 74 blocks were included in the study and immunohistochemistry staining for biomarkers VEGF and CD31 were done, and the results were compared with ER, PR, Ki-67, HER2 and P53, age, lymph node involvement, histologic grade, and stage. Demographic  information was gathered from the patients' files. Data was analyzed by SPSS v.12 software.

Results: The mean age of the  patients was 49.4±11.94 years.The mean of CD31 was between 5.6 and 106.6(37.39±17.95) and the median of CD31 was 34.3, which was assumed as cut-off. Based on this value, 37cases(52.1%) were considered as low MVD and 34 cases(47.9%) as high MVD. 57 cases (7%) were VEGF positive and 17 cases (23%) were VEGF negative. Between mean MVD and VEGF was a significant correlation (Spearman r=0.24 and P=0.041) ,which  means  VEGF as an angiogenesis factor plays a role in increasing MVD. There was no significant relation between VEGF and MVD and age, histologic grade, nuclear grade, lymph node involvement, tumor size, stage, ER, PR, HER2/Neu, Ki-67 and P53.

Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, VEGF plays a role in  promoting angiogenesis. With respect to the results of this study, there is no significant relationship between VEGF and MVD and histopathological prognostic factors, age, and biomarkers of ER, PR, HER2/Neu, Ki-67 and P53.